Civil War on the Left, Part 56: Diversity for Thee, But Not for Me (Updated)

One of the things you can always count on from liberals is that their earnest care about the poor and disadvantaged always ends when policies to alleviate inequality might affect them. Like this story from the Wall Street Journal today about how parents on the Upper West Side of Manhattan (it hardly gets any more correctly liberal than the Upper West Side) object to a plan to admit student with—gasp! lower test scores!—to the schools where they send their own kids:

Parents Worry About Diversity Plan for Some Manhattan Middle Schools

A New York City proposal to diversify middle schools on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, by setting aside seats for children with low test scores, is facing stiff resistance from parents worried their high-achieving children might lose access to the popular public schools.

The Department of Education has proposed one scenario in which most middle schools in District 3 would give priority, for up to 25% of their seats, to applicants who had fourth-grade scores below grade level on state tests of reading and math. . . some parents argue their high-performing children shouldn’t be edged out. At a heated public meeting Tuesday, filmed by NY1 at P.S. 199, many parents were upset.

Do tell. “We didn’t mean diversity for us! It’s only supposed to be for those icky deplorable working class people in Ohio.”

I’ve noticed that popcorn prices are soaring these days.

P.S. One last bit from the story:

Supporters say the disadvantaged deserve better access. Principal Henry Zymeck of the Computer School, which would be affected, said children benefit from learning alongside others with varying abilities, and teachers know how to differentiate instruction.

If this is true, then why doesn’t it apply to college education, too? I think Harvard and other elite universities should admit applicants by random drawing. Among other things, it would solve the controversies over affirmative action admissions at a stroke. Think of how much disadvantaged students will benefit from professors who know how to “differentiate instruction.”

UPDATE: An outfit called “New York 1” has uploaded this report and video from a community meeting: